sihui li

This project is based on the concept of "memento mori", which translates from Latin as "remember you must die."Originating as a visual theme in ancient Roman and Christian traditions, memento mori serves as a reminder of death and the irreversible nature of time. In this work, I aim to reinterpret this ancient concept through a more personal and delicate visual language. In this project, I photograph flowers from blooming to withering, observing the subtle changes that appear during this process. As one of the most fragile and short-lived forms in nature, flowers naturally carry the imagery of disappearance and death. Their decay makes me think about the passing of time and the feeling of loss. To express this sense of fragility, I use blurred, soft-focus black and white photography to emphasize light and tone, capturing images that are fading from view and cannot be fully seen. These images reveal a sense of fragility and uncertainty, like moments that are disappearing yet still remain in memory. I created this work to explore how contemporary photography can express the passage of time and death. Through photographing flowers, I approach the subject of death in a gentle way. This process allows me to view death and loss with calmness rather than fear. I hope that when viewers look at these images, they can pause and feel the flow of time, sensing the coexistence of beauty and disappearance.